What Impact Does Social Media Have on SEO?

What Impact Does Social Media Have on SEO?

Social media has long been a positive way to market for small businesses, providing a cost-effective opportunity to extend reach, target new markets, and drive engagement. From Facebook to Twitter, the growth of social sharing has only expanded the possibilities available to companies on a mission.

But with over a decade of emphasis on search engine optimization and the benefits of positive ranking, how does social media fit into the digital marketing puzzle? What impact does social media have on SEO?

As it turns out, the answer is “a lot.” Here’s how your social media usage can boost your SEO strategies.

Social Media Drives Traffic

The primary objective of SEO involves improving visibility in order to drive traffic, and social media accomplishes this goal quite effectively. Posting links to quality content increases shares, comments, and likes, attracting attention to your brand and drawing users to your website.

Furthermore, linking to your content is a proven SEO strategy, with experts agreeing that posting high-quality content and link building are among the most valuable signals used by Google’s algorithms. In fact, Google’s former webspam team head Matt Cutts confirmed that links from Facebook and Twitter are used to determine ranking.

Social Media Profiles Rank

Have you ever Googled a company name or business service only to see social media profiles close to the top of the SERPs? Of course you have, which means that you know social media profiles rank just like any other site.

Building up a solid website and comprehensive social pages can prove to be extremely beneficial, helping you take up plenty of space on the results pages. This can increase visibility significantly – especially if you have active profiles on most of the major platforms – pushing your competitors down to the bottom of the page.

Social Media Increases Brand Exposure

When you want your customers to know your name and hone in on your business when it appears on Google, social media is a great way to boost brand awareness. Facebook has 2 billion active monthly users, Twitter has nearly 330 million, and Instagram has 700 million: in other words, billions of users who have a chance to gain familiarity with your brand.

When you’re able to attract users through creative, quality content and keep them engaged with discussion questions, polls, and active responses to comments, you’re far more likely to make an impression that will transcend social media.

Social Media Drives Local SEO

Your web presence is very important, but it’s especially important on a local level. While you may attract some customers from outside of your city or state, local customers should be your top focus. After all, these are the people who will be shopping with you on a regular basis.

When you utilize geographic information on your profiles and target ads to your local market, you’ll see gains in what appears in search results, helping your community members to find your products or services. Additionally, social media gives your customers a place to discuss your business, incorporating reviews, comments, and feedback into search engine results.

Social media has many benefits to your business marketing strategy, and SEO is one of them. From increasing your local presence to boosting your positioning in the SERPs, social media can do wonders for your company.